READING RECOMMENDATIONS

3 ROMANTIC ENGLISH CLASSICS YOU SHOULD READ

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin

English literature has jewels you cannot miss. As an English Studies student at University, I fell in love with these three novels and the intensity of their plots and characters. From my experience as a teacher, I do not recommend you to read the original books unless you have at least a B2 level, since you could get frustrated and quit. The good news is that Penguin adaptations are perfect for students at all stages.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Brönte.

Wuthering Heights is often referred to as the quintessential novel from the Romantic period in literature. The obsessive passions of the main characters drive you to a complex story of love, hate, and revenge that takes place at Wuthering Heights, Mr Earnshaw’s huge mansion. On a trip to Liverpool, he adopts a homeless boy called Heathcliff, who falls in love with Earnshaw’s daughter, Catherine. Nevertheless, they cannot get married because of his low social status and lack of education.

“If he loved you with all the power of his soul for a whole lifetime, he couldn’t love you as much as I do in a single day”.
Heathcliff
Wuthering Heights

ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare.

If you are studying English language and literature, you must read some drama. Theatre has been essential in English literature and culture for many centuries. The variety of pieces and playwrights is enormous, but the reading of the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is just indispensable. Their two families are entangled in a feud, but from the moment they meet, they fall in love. Juliet’s father wants to force her to marry the County Paris, so she fakes her death. When Romeo thinks Juliet is dead, he kills himself on the tomb of her lover, who afterwards commits suicide as well.

Pride and Prejudice is a story of love and life during the Georgian England. The lives of five sisters are turned upside down when a wealthy young man (Mr Darcy) and his best friend arrive. The future of the sisters depends on the girls’ good marriages because if their father dies, his fortune could only be inherited by a distant cousin. Jane, the eldest sister, starts to hate the arrogant Mr Darcy, especially when he refuses to dance with her due to her lower class. Over subsequent weeks, however, Mr Darcy finds himself increasingly attracted to Elizabeth’s charm and intelligence.

“In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” Mr Darcy Pride and Prejudice